My Eyes Feel They Need to Cry: Stories from the Formerly Homeless

Chapter Four. Their Stories through Paintings and Poems

111 chapter four Their Stories through Paintings and Poems USING ART TO HEAL Just as people have been telling their stories and those of others through words—oral andwritten—foryears,theyhavealsobeendrawingandpaintingtheirstories.Sometimestheywritepoetry —anotheravenueofsharingtheirthoughts,feelings,andideas. Tens of thousands of years ago, people drew their stories on the walls of the caves where they lived. “The first rock drawings were etched and . . . the first cave-pictures of bears and other animals were scratched out” (Brodskaia 2007, 7). However,overtheyears,drawingimageswasnotonlyforthepurposeofsharing stories. Cathy A. Malchiodi, art therapist andauthor, wrote: “Since ancient times, art has served as a means to repair and renew the self, and the world’s wisdom traditions have affirmed imagery as a remedy for what ails the body and mind” (Malchiodi 2002, xi). People have an innate, primal need or desire totell their stories. Some love to tell them. Others need encouragement. Still others are extremely private. Providing the opportunitytothesepeopletopainttheirlifestories,orsegmentsofthem,openedup another option for self-expression, without the self-censorship that sometimes goes with the use of words. Art from the soul just is. In her book Drawing on the Artist Within, Betty Edwards explored many creative individuals’ written words. Chapter Four 112 Wordsalonewereofteninadequatetodescribethecreativeprocess...tobetruly creative we must somehow turn ourselves away from usual modes of thought in order . . . to look at the world from a different point of view. . . . Verbal language can be inappropriate for certain creative tasks and . . . words at times can even hinder thinking. . . . Thus, . . . direct perception, a different kind of “seeing,” is an integral part of the thinking—and hence the creative—process. . . . Drawings, like words, have meaning—often beyond the power of words to express, but nonetheless invaluable in making the chaos of our sensory impressions comprehensible.” (Edwards 1986, xii–xiii) This chapter explores the participants’ stories as they talk about their art and poetry. You can see some of their paintings in the photo gallery of this book. Also woventhroughoutthischapterarethementors’reflectionsontheparticipants’creative endeavors,whichenhanceourunderstandingoftheparticipants’storiesandartabout their personal experiences with homelessness. We provided a supportive, nonjudgmental environment so that people could begin to paint their stories. Some painted about their memories of homelessness. Some painted self-portraits. Others painted images from their imagination. Just as they did not necessarily tell complete stories through words about all their homeless experiences, their paintings are also glimpses or vignettes of their lives while homeless—their memories, fantasies, and dreams. As Cathy Malchiodi has written, “Artistic self-expression can help you explore, release, and understand the source of emotional distress, ameliorate trauma, and repair and resolve conflicts. . . . Your inner artist reveals only as much of yourself as you are ready to see and understand” (Malchiodi 2002,150). Mentors sat next to participants while they worked on their creative projects. We encouraged them, gave them support, and passed no judgment as to the right or wrong way to paint. We never required that they do any of the activities, nor did they need to respond to any questions we asked. However, we encouraged them to ask questions. While we cannot scientifically stipulate that this project changed these peoples’ lives, we can safely say that based on their comments, the breakthroughs in their artwork, their lives and outlook on life, our observations, and Michigan State University graduate students’ evaluations, they made many positive changes during this period. MarionHeider,whoprovidedindividualsupporttotheparticipantsduringtheart classes, reflected on her experiencein our roundtable discussion with video producer Peter Frahm. She said: The ir Stories through Paintings and Poems 113 I was there to assist. The mood was cheerful and exciting, and people interacted with each other. The results were astounding—paintings of families, houses of childhood when life was easier. During these times, we all talked to each other andtoldstoriesaboutourlives.Severaladultstalkedaboutthemselves.Ilistened and asked questions about their lives and their children. We shared stories about our families, and some men talked of their times in jail or when they were strung out on drugs and how that affected the families. We laughed about events in our lives, and I cried too when their children didn’t seetheparentforaperiodoftimeduetodrugsormovingfromplacetoplace.We felt good when someone brought in new pictures of a family member. I was impressed—everybody has a different kind of art, expressing something from their lives. If you asked each artist, “Can you tell me about that?” they would tell you something that they have not really told before, and they’re very different one from one another. And you...